Modern Furniture
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Cotton, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Wood, Cedar
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s Indonesian Modern Furniture
Wool, Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Furniture
Walnut
1990s Italian Modern Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s South American Modern Furniture
Stone, Onyx, Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Animal Skin, Suede, Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Leather, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Modern Furniture
Bronze
2010s Canadian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s German Modern Furniture
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Stainless Steel
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Metal
1990s Japanese Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Glass, Opaline Glass
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Brass
20th Century American Modern Furniture
Steel, Wire
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Brass, Bronze, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Onyx, Quartz, Travertine, Granite, Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass, Stainl...
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood, Foam
2010s Indian Modern Furniture
Wool
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Hardwood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Murano Glass, Murrine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
1980s German Vintage Modern Furniture
Glass, Cut Glass
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Steel
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Furniture
Silver Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Paint
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum
20th Century Scottish Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Modern Furniture
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Spanish Modern Furniture
Plastic
Late 20th Century Modern Furniture
Fiberglass, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Furniture
Wood, Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Aluminum
2010s Turkish Modern Furniture
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Wood
2010s American Modern Furniture
Maple
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Marble, Carrara Marble, Brass








